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Ram Mohan Roy: A Unitarian in India with Thomas Howard

Ram Mohan Roy was a Bengali Brahmin, who in 1821 helped organize the Calcutta Unitarian Society.  In 1828, the Society transformed into the Brahmo Samaj, which called for the radical reform of Hinduism and became central to the development of modern Bengali culture.  He published a book titled The Precepts of Jesus:  The Guide to Peace and Happiness.  His translations of Hindu scriptures influenced Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.  William Ellery Channing described him as the man he most regretted never having had a chance to meet. Was Roy a Christian?  Was he a Hindu?  Was he a Unitarian?  We will consider these questions.

Thomas Howard served as a Peace Core Volunteer in India. He went on to build a career as a college professor of geography, teaching courses about South Asia. He is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist. His mother Jacinta Howard, was a founding member of UUFDC.